Keeping secrets
by Is0lde
Summary: SLASH. Fred's keeping a big secret from George. Meanwhile, George has other problems - feelings he shouldn't be having for his brother...
1. Begging for it

**Chapter one: Begging for it **

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**Author's note: **Hi all. This is my first HP fic... (at least my first fic that's solely HP and nota crossover. Meeh. Details, details.) soplease, be gentle reviewing. It's also the first fic I've ever written with any sex in it... hope my abilities will suffice...

It's dedicated to **Sparks** 'cause I postponed working on her little request to finish this. Sorry hun! Here's a Christmas pressie anyway! Hope it'll make up for things.  
Oh, and I might write an alternate ending to this, too. Keep an eye out for updates!

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Who said lying was easy?

Fred had been lying to George for a century – or so it seemed – and no matter what he did, or how he tried to justify his lies, his guilty conscience was always there nagging in the periphery of his mind. It was simply killing him.  
It was just, how could he tell his brother the truth? How could he possibly be able to?

So, he had decided to end it all. End what was making him feel so bad, and end what would eventually tear him and his brother apart, if he let it go on.  
It hadn't been easy making that decision; however much his conscience was hurting him, his 'wrongdoings' still supplied him with a guilty pleasure he didn't want to be without. But after all, family was what mattered, and he would never be close to anyone the way he was to his twin.

It was after Quidditch practice. A normal bloody Thursday, Herbology and Potions included. The practice had been very tough, a needful preparation for their upcoming game against Slytherin. Fred and George had missed their last practice because they'd played a complex prank on Filch that had required most of their free time. In retrospect, not a very smart move, but it had sure been fun while it had lasted. So this practice had been a kind of payback for that. _That_ hadn't been even remotely fun.

Fred pulled off his clothes and hit the team showers. He had waited until everyone had went off to their own activities, because he had fancied having this moment in peace and quiet; just a couple of minutes when he could be alone and think things through, which was a virtual impossibility in the common room or anywhere else where his brother and their mutual friends hung out. George had had no trouble leaving him behind. After all, he had Lee.  
He shuddered as he felt the water trickling down his back. There was obviously something wrong with the tap, because not much water came out from it, and it made strange, crackling noises when small droplets of water _did_ manage to get out. He thought of fixing it for a second, but he didn't have the energy left after practice to go fetch his wand. Besides, he had never been especially good with the Reparo charm.  
Sighing, he turned the water off and leaned his head against the cold, sterile wall. It seemed safe, somehow, and he found himself relaxing to the tranquil mood.  
The tranquillity, however, was soon disrupted by the sound of an all too familiar voice.

"You're still here, I see. Waiting for someone?"  
Fred didn't bother turning around. He would've known who it was even if he hadn't spoken; his presence affected the entire space which he was in.  
"Not really. I wanted to be alone." Fred hoped that his reply had sounded snappy and irritable enough to make him go away.  
"Alone? Where's the fun in that?"  
Fred sighed again. Apparently his tone of voice had been completely wrong. He'd have to work on that – but now, it was all too late.  
"Don't." He felt trapped, like an animal gone astray, captured by the self-righteous hunter. The hunter who thought he owned everything, who thought he had control. And for the moment, he was right.  
"Don't what?" Hands locked a firm grip around Fred's waist. He gasped, the touch a shock to his existence, and then he was turned around violently to face the intruder. A pair of darkened eyes met his.  
"I want you to go away. I need to think things through – for both our sakes."

Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, laughed heartily. He maintained his grip around Fred's waist, ignoring the fact that his teammate was obviously uncomfortable.  
"Things? What things might that be?"  
"Well, you know… things! Like… this. What we're doing, why we're doing it…"  
"Why? Why, Weasley? I thought that was fairly obvious." He leaned forward and kissed him lightly, teasingly. "You like it."  
Fred nodded slightly. "Yeah." There was no use denying something that was this apparent.  
"Then stop arguing," Wood mumbled. He was fully dressed, Quidditch uniform and all, and Fred suddenly felt very exposed in his nudity. But it wasn't such an uncomfortable situation; he had to admit to himself. The little resistance he'd had left had vanished the second Wood had kissed him, and he was powerless against him – again.

_One more time_, he thought to himself, _just one more time, then I'll break it off, and I won't have anything to hide from George anymore._

Fred let himself go completely, placing his hand around Wood's neck, pulling him closer. They kissed, and Fred felt a rush go through his entire body as he felt Oliver's tongue in his mouth, playfully exploring and enticing him. He fiddled with the buttons on Oliver's shirt, but he found it hard unbuttoning it as he was distracted by everything else going on. Finally, he succeeded, and again, he felt the sudden rush when skin met skin. They were standing so close to one another now, he could feel Oliver's heart beat its unique and rhythm against his chest.  
As the team captain let his right hand slip down from Fred's waist, down to where he now could feel only the familiar throbbing sensation and heat Oliver always provoked, he trembled slightly, barely able to keep himself from moaning.

Wood noticed, a satisfied smirk on his face amidst kisses. He was in total control. He was the given leader, and Fred just tried to keep up with him. After all, he was older, and far more experienced.

It was just like a dance they performed, an intricate tango of sorts. And Oliver was quite the dancer.

"You want this?" he asked, suddenly removing his right hand completely and placing it behind his back, as though he was taking away a toy from a child.  
Fred woke up from what had been a quite trance-like state and met his gaze foggily. "Yes," he said, breathing more heavily than he would have wanted to.  
"Should I carry on then?"  
For a second, Fred hated him intensely. He always did this; kept him on hold, just to see how much he wanted it… how much he wanted _him_. Ridiculous, really, because he already knew that Fred, enticed just right, would do anything for him to continue. He just wanted to make him beg for it first.  
"Y-yes," he stuttered. "Come on, Wood… don't do this, y-you have to finish what you've started. Don't… don't tease me like this."  
"But I like it," replied Wood, still with the same satisfied smirk on his face. "I like the way you're desperate for me. I like the look in your eyes as you are forced to wait."  
"Y-you get on off on me begging for it?" Fred asked, but to no point; he already knew the answer. He'd known it from the first time he'd done it with him.  
Oliver's eyes glinted mischievously. "Yes."  
"Well then," mumbled Fred, feeling slightly drunk and weary with desire, "I'll beg. Please Wood, finish off what you've started. Relieve me, Oliver, I can't take this any longer."  
Begging made him feel like a humble slave or servant. It made him feel uneasy, but he was willing to do whatever was necessary at this point.  
Fred could see Oliver's eyes glint. "That's all I wanted to hear," he laughed silently, and he down on his knees.


	2. Avoidance

**Chapter two: Avoidance**

After his meeting with Oliver, Fred felt even more ashamed and guilty than before. Ambivalence ruled him – one minute, he wanted to just come out and tell his brother the truth, but the next, everything was just too confusing to even think about. What _was _the truth, exactly? What was he doing? Did it actually mean something, or were they just two adolescent boys fucking for the hell of it? He didn't know what prospect frightened him the most.

He walked into the Gryffindor common room at 630 in the evening. George was sitting by the fireplace with Lee, talking eagerly and what appeared to be a blast. Any other night, Fred would've happily joined his friends, but now… now he just felt like crawling into bed – alone – and hiding under the covers until daybreak.  
He managed to sneak his way to his bed without being detected by anyone. At least, that's what he thought – right up until he'd laid himself down on his bed, still fully dressed, and closed his eyes.

"You thought you could just sneak up here without me noticing?  
Fred opened his eyes again, very tiredly. His twin was standing in the doorway, leaning comfortably against it. A sudden rage filled Fred – sure, integrity wasn't something he had the luxury of enjoying, seeing as he shared his room with his brother, but when he really needed it, the lack of it seemed all the more apparent.  
"Foolish of me," he muttered, sitting up and swinging his legs over the bedside so that he could sit and face George. "Foolish to think I could get any privacy – ever."  
He hadn't intended for his tone of voice to be so harsh, but he felt like his one opportunity to be by himself had just been eliminated, and it made him see red.  
"Jeez, what's with the attitude, bro? I was just going to ask you something."  
"Is it important?" Fred grumbled.  
"To me it is," George said indignantly, stepping inside the room in a most threatening way. It was obvious he was very upset. "But I suppose you're too busy avoiding me to care."  
"Avoiding you? No, George, it's not…"  
"It's all you ever do these days, isn't it?" George interrupted. "You stay late at practice –"  
"I was taking a shower!"  
"– you're _always_ the last one to come back from there. You sneak off by yourself to placed I don't know and you're gone for hours…"

Fred thought about this. He thought about the rendezvous with Oliver two weeks ago, near the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. That had been exciting. They'd made out on a grassy knoll, but then Hagrid had come along, Fang in a short leash, and they'd had to make a run for it – semi-naked. Maybe he hadn't been as careful as he'd thought handling this affair. Then again, George was quite observant.

"It's like you'd rather be anywhere but near me," George concluded. His expression had now gone from angry to hurt. Fred wished he'd stayed mad instead. A mad brother he could handle with his conscience intact. Now, a hurt one…  
"That's so not true!" Fred exclaimed; he knew he had to convince him. "If you'd just listen… look, I'm tired, okay? I'll explain everything in the morning, when we're both rested. Sound good?"  
"Suit yourself." George turned his back on Fred. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he said: "I'm going out. With Lee."  
"Out? Where?" Suddenly, Fred felt left out, and it stung him like a poisonous dart. The worst thing about it, though, was that he couldn't blame his brother for shutting him out. After all, _he_ was shutting _him_ out. And even though he planned on telling him tomorrow, he'd been keeping this big secret from George for months now. Would it really help if he told him? Wouldn't he be mad forever anyway?  
"It's none of your business," snapped George, now halfway out of the doorway. "And that was your own choice. Remember that."

As his brother closed the door to their mutual room, Fred felt like something broke inside him.


	3. Restless

**Chapter three: Restless**

Hands met hands, lips met lips. The soft sensation of Katie's mouth pressed against his made George surrender entirely to the moment and the room and everything in it became but blurred shadows. He closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly so that the kissing would be more comfortable.  
Suddenly, something flashed before his eyes. A grinning face, freckled… it was like he was looking into a mirror and seeing himself stare back at him. But it was his brother's. He knew this because he'd been seeing a lot of it when he closed his eyes of late. Shuddering in a sudden panic, he opened his eyes again.

_Come on, George,_ he thought to himself furiously, _snap out of it. This is great… you're kissing Katie Bell and all you can think of is your twin? Narcissist much?_

Katie had felt him tremble and drew back a bit. She gazed into George's eyes, as though she thought she might find an answer in their depths.  
"Is there something wrong? Am I… am I not doing this right?" Katie, otherwise quite a confident person, wasn't _at all_ confident when it came to kissing and everything that concerned it. Admittedly, George wasn't that experienced, either, but more so than Katie, in any case.  
"Nothing wrong," George said quickly, and hoped that he'd sounded honest enough. The truth was, his heart was speeding faster than ever, and he didn't know why anymore. Sure, he liked Katie – a lot – and he was comfortable doing this with her, but his brother kept haunting him, and it was making him positively mad.  
Katie shrugged – which looked kind of funny 'cause she was lying down – smiled, and kissed him again. It was a soft, slow kiss, the kind George imagined everyone wanted, because it was the most intimate and romantic kind. But tonight he felt he just couldn't take the sweetness of it all. He was restless; he wanted more than anything to extinguish the fire that was burning inside of him, and this just wasn't the way.

He pushed Katie away carefully, immediately receiving a hurt look from her.  
"There _is_ something wrong, isn't there?" she said, frowning. "Is it me?"  
"No," George hurried to assure her. "No, it's not you. Really, you're great, it's just… can't we just… skip all of this?"  
Katie stared at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"  
"I mean…" George didn't know how to express himself without being too blunt. He didn't want to sound… perverted and fixated. "I mean, we've done this, haven't we? What with the hugging, and the kissing, and… you know."  
It took her a few seconds to understand. When she finally did, her frown dissolved, but she still looked a bit perplexed. "Oh, you want to…?" She looked at George questioningly, as if she wasn't completely sure yet what to make of all the insinuations, and didn't want to make a fool out of herself by assuming the wrong thing.  
George nodded, blushing for no particular reason and looking away. "Yes. I mean," he hurried to add, "sure, if you don't want to, we could…"  
Katie shook her head violently. "No, no, it's all right… I guess we could… I mean, it's not like… yeah." She cut herself off, looking just a tad terrified at the prospect of what George was suggesting, but trying to seem very mature and experienced.  
"You're not making any sense." George smiled warmly to ensure her and make her feel safer. "Calm down, would you." He kissed her smoothly. "See, we've been taking it slow all term." Another kiss. This time, Katie kissed him back, and eagerly at that. "I don't know about you, Katie, but myself…" He let his hand wander down from her chest, down to her stomach, resting it just at her belt. Katie quivered as she felt his touch, writhing slightly. "… myself, I can't wait to see…" He fiddled with her jeans' buttons. "… where this takes us."

George's little speech had done its job. Katie was caught up in the moment now and all George wanted to do was to take command. Katie kissed him as eagerly as if she wanted to devour him, and he didn't pull away until he felt he might suffocate if they kept it up. His touch light yet powerful, fast yet tender and slow, he eliminated the picture of his brother in his head and focused on the small amount of time he still had to make his and Katie's little adventurous night sneaking out of their dorms to the Quidditch dressing-room worth its while.


	4. The Room of Requirement

**Chapter four: The Room of Requirement**

Fred's dreams gave him no peace.

Ever since they'd been little, he and George had had that certain bond that twins often have, the one that on certain occasions even permitted them to feel one another's emotions. That had been useful many times, because it meant they had an understanding for each other that was their alone, and that was special in the sense that they connected in a way no one else could.

But ever since he'd begun his 'thing' with Oliver, he'd felt that that bond might be withering, and it made him absolutely terrified. Therefore, it was no wonder his dreams were now filled with angst-visions of a future where they were no longer even remotely close, and where they were not open an honest with each other. If that was the future they were heading for, then he didn't want to be in it. His brother was his closest friend, confidant and soul mate. To realise a reality without him seemed like life without air to breath, or eyes to see with.  
All would go absolutely dark.

So he was trying to find George. He had to tell him everything, had to make things right between them before it was too late. His brother had not come back to their dorm all night. Strangely, what worried Fred the most wasn't if something had happened to him, but rather whom he was with at the moment. It was a type of jealousy he found hard to analyse, but however obscure, it taunted him, stung him, and made his continuance of the daily life downright impossible.

He'd skipped Defence Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic, of which the latter one had been the easiest to live without attending, looking for his brother. Now, he was getting weary with running around the halls, making sure no teachers saw him and could ask why he was not in class, all the while looking for the smallest, most insignificant sign that George _might've_ passed through there during the day.

He was in a corridor on the seventh floor now, wishing like mad that he had an Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map with him. But both of those artefacts were in Harry's possession, and he didn't feel like explaining himself to him right now. He did have his wand, but it wasn't good for much else than Alohomora this time. It was pretty dark, because there were no windows, and he had to strain himself to be able to avoid walking into objects in his path. He was amazed at how many strange things you could find lying around in a corridor. He steered to the left, trying to avoid colliding with a huge statue he couldn't recognise as anything he'd ever seen before. He was starting to wonder whether he'd become lost in this corridor and considered turning around and going in the other direction, back to where he'd come from.

Suddenly, he found himself being jerked into an even darker, small space on his right that he hadn't even noticed. He heard a door close behind him, and then, someone took his wand away from his hand.  
"Hey! Give that back!" Fred shouted, but his shout was somewhat muffled by a hand being placed on his mouth. It felt familiar. Then, the hand was withdrawn. It was then he realised who had ambushed him.

"Really freakin' funny, Wood. A whole bundle of laughs. Now let me go!"  
"_Lumos._" Fred's wand lit up like a candle, and light was cast on Oliver Wood's smirking face. "Hello, Weasley," he said loftily.  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? Might've Stunned you if you hadn't taken my wand. I have places to go, idiot, did it ever occur to you that I have a life besides these little meetings with you? And what is this place, anyway? I've never seen this room before." Though the room was but dimly lit from the wand, Fred could see the outlines of some sort of furniture at the other end of the room. It was either a bed or a sofa, he could tell. Then, he tried to focus on Oliver again.  
Wood cocked an eyebrow, looking superior in every sense of the word. "This is the Room of Requirement. It appears when you need it, and contains whatever you need at the moment. Hence the name. Thought you might be up to a little fun."  
So that piece of furniture at the end of the room was a bed after all. Fred suddenly felt fury rush through him. Who the hell did Wood think he was? "Yeah? Well, guess what – you thought wrong. I don't have the time or the patience to play mind-games with you, Oliver. Go harass someone else."  
Fred's brusque retort made Wood wipe off the smirk on his face. "What, suddenly you're the virgin-fucking-Mary? _Harass_? I seem to recall you being in on it. I seem to recall you _begging for it._"  
George kicked himself mentally. It was true. He _had_ begged for it, because he'd been weak. Weak. He didn't plan on ever being that weak again.  
"I begged," he said, his eyes aglow with intensity. "I did, but I won't do it again."  
"Oh, no?" Oliver leered. "It wasn't just one time, Fred." Fred felt a chill run down his spine when he heard Oliver utter his name. He hated himself for it, but he had a hard time being strong and saying no when all he really wanted to do was give in. "Yesterday was our freakin' half-year anniversary. Look, Weasley, if you'd said no when first I approached you, it would've been an entirely different thing. I wouldn't be standing here right now, in the shadows, waiting for you to come by. And I wouldn't force myself upon you." He took a step closer. "But as it is now, you've been in this way too long to suddenly just back out. I know you want me, I know you do. So just shut up –"  
"I do want you," Fred interrupted. "But it's hard having to lie to everyone, and especially to George."  
"Go ahead and tell him, then," half-whispered Oliver, placing his arms around Fred's waist like he'd done so many times before. Fred let him. "See what he says. I'm sure he won't have a problem with it. Your family seems open-minded and all that crap."  
"_What_ would I tell him, then?" Fred burst furiously. "I would tell him, what, that I've been screwing you? That we're in a _relationship_? Please inform me, if you know, Oliver – what the fuck is going on between us?"  
Oliver eyed him slowly. The silence was like silk embedding them both. Then, he asked, "Is it important?"  
"If I'm going to tell him, it is."  
"What defines a relationship, then?" Wood asked. "Some people might say holding hands, and flowers and boxes of chocolate once a year on Valentine's Day. Actually, that's probably how _most_ people define a relationship, and then there's the occasional fucking, but instead it's called 'making love'. Personally, I've never been into labelling things. I'm content with things the way they are." He paused, looking into Fred's eyes earnestly. "I know where I stand."  
"Where _do_ you stand?" Fred could hardly breathe now; he was entranced. Entranced by the circumstances – the two of them together, in a cupboard unknown to everyone else.  
"Right here next to you," Wood whispered, and kissed him. Fred didn't recoil. It was the weakness again, making him surrender without so much as a fight. The fact of the matter was, he liked having Oliver close. That was why he hadn't broken it off before, and that was why he had such difficulty doing it now. And as much as he knew that it was keeping him and his brother apart – telling had never been the better option – he didn't see how he could give Oliver up without regretting it forever.

"Damn it," Fred mumbled midst passionate kisses. "Screw this being noble and persistently chaste, I don't fucking care anymore. I need you."  
Oliver broke the kiss off, and when he looked into his eyes, Fred could see there was doubt in them, as though he was insecure. But Fred had never known him to be insecure before. He frowned.  
"You're lying."  
"What?"  
"You're lying," he repeated, "about you needing me. You're only doing this half-heartened anyway, 'cause you can't control yourself…"  
"No, honest, I do. I'll figure out some way to deal with George, I'll do anything, because I really do. Need you, I mean." When Fred had said this, he felt surer of how he felt than ever before. He did need him, and he did want him. And that was really all that was important at the moment. What was the problem? They had nothing, _nothing_ standing in their way. As soon as he'd told George things would be fine, and the guilt would be gone.

"No one's ever said that to me before," Oliver whispered.  
Fred felt it was surreal that Oliver would say something like that. It had been about everything but feelings before, and now he'd suddenly opened up, if only for a little bit. It was a step in the right direction.  
"Then I'll say it more often." Fred smiled. "Now… where were we?" And he enclosed the Quidditch Captain in his arms and kissed him once more.  
"_Nox_," mumbled Oliver, and the small light at the tip of Fred's wand went out and left the room completely dark.


	5. Aiming for the trees

**Chapter five: Aiming for the trees**

When George awoke the next morning, he had the worst headache he'd had in months. It felt like his brain had been battered with a sledgehammer and thrown to the dogs that'd undoubtedly had their fun with it, and then stuffed back inside his skull for recuperation.

He found his underwear beneath the bench he'd been sleeping on. It hadn't taken him long to figure out where he was – in the Quidditch dressing-room, one of the only safe places you could be alone in.  
He looked up at the single window. By the looks of things, it was pretty late in the afternoon. The sky was pallid, and the sun's precious beams were few. The weather was terrible.

Why hadn't Katie awakened him? She was nowhere around to be seen, so obviously, she'd gone up to the castle again, leaving him in a quite vulnerable state.  
_Would you have awakened _her? His question's answer was apparent – he wouldn't have. It would have been too awkward, waking up together and all that, going to the Great Hall for breakfast _together_… nah, he would've sneaked off himself if it'd been him.

"Why the hell is this door sealed shut?"  
"Someone's been here."  
"Well, obviously, dimwit. You know what I meant."  
George turned his head to the door, his heart beating very fast. Those were familiar voices, all too familiar…  
He froze as he realised the truth.

It was the Slytherin Quidditch team. This was the day they usually had practice. They were already here, which meant that the time was 2 PM, maybe a bit later.  
"This just isn't happening," he muttered, quickly getting his boxers and pants on. He sent a mental thank-you to Katie for at least sealing the door. It was something that Alohomora didn't work on – he didn't want to speculate as to where she'd learned it, or what it was, for that matter. Any minute now the Slytherins would get it open, he was sure of it, and if that were to happen, if they were to find him there, he'd rather be fully than partially dressed.  
He pulled on his shirt and lay himself down on the bench where he'd awakened minutes ago, pretending to be asleep.

Seconds later, after someone had uttered a to George completely strange word, the door burst open, and the entire Slytherin team stumbled in, a familiar blond boy first.  
"Hey, it worked. Cool. Now, let's…" He stopped in the middle of his speech and stared blankly at George, who'd just turned his head to look at the newcomers. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"  
"Slept here tonight," he answered, as if there was nothing wrong with that at all. "Figured a change of environment ought to do me good."  
"Change of environment?" Malfoy looked extremely sceptical but amused at the same time. "Thought you'd feel at home if the sleeping quarters were a bit more frugal, did you?"  
"Oh, yeah, that's right, Malfoy. Come on. Let's talk about my family being poor, 'cause I've never heard that one before," George sneered and got to his feet. "Meanwhile, I've got places to go, classes to attend, so if you don't mind…" He advanced through the crowd of Slytherins, leaving a sniggering Malfoy behind him as he went. When he was outside, he felt his heartbeat slowing down from having raced terribly. He'd actually pulled it off. He'd tricked them into believing… well, whatever they wanted to believe, really. But he'd got off the hook, and that was what mattered.  
"Stupid dunce," he muttered to himself, making his way up a muddy hill that led to the castle. "I'll get him some day, I swear…"

When he arrived in the Great Hall, students who had just departed from their separate lessons where coming together everywhere in the room, chattering about nonsense, homework and such. George searched the room for Fred, but didn't find him anywhere. He heard from Lee that his brother had been looking for him, though, and that at least calmed him down slightly. Fred had, after all, promised him a nice talk today.  
Now, there was just one problem left to deal with.

Katie Bell was sitting with Alicia and some other girl from Ravenclaw George didn't know when he approached her. He caught her eye and beckoned here silently with a nod of his head. She understood immediately and excused herself from the table, walking tentatively towards him as though he was dangerous in some way.

"Morning," he said as cheerfully as he could.  
"Morning? It's late in the afternoon, Weasley. Where have you been?" She was playing a game, he understood that now. There were people everywhere around them who could be eavesdropping, and she obviously thought it best to save the real conversation for some time when they'd be alone together. Whenever the hell that'd be. George decided to take the initiative.  
"Look, there's something I need to talk to you about… there are classes I've missed, and I thought I'd ask you to help me with homework."  
She smiled. "Sure, Weasley, let's take a stroll. We have a half an hour 'til class starts anyway."

They went out to the courtyard. No one else was there, except a runaway bird from the Owlery flying in wide circles above their heads.  
"So," said George, looking at her to try and read her expression.  
"So," she retorted, her face as neutral as though they'd indeed been talking about homework, "so I hope you don't mind my little early exit. It's just I had classes…"  
"I did, too," he said, smiling.  
She looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, but… well, you know, I didn't want to… I thought…"  
"It's okay, I totally get it," he assured her. "But you put me in a downright dreadful predicament. Luckily I got out."  
"Oh, sorry!" She blushed violently. "What happened?"  
"The entire Slytherin team came barging in on me, 's all," he said nonchalantly. He wanted it to seem like he'd had a hard time, but pulled through anyway, under the worst ever circumstances. It would make him look good.  
"No!" Katie gasped, concealing her head in her hands. "I'm so, so sorry, George! I had no idea…"  
"I told you, it's okay. I got out didn't I? Used my wits and all… they barely got the chance to heckle me."  
Katie laughed, and George felt like the talk was going better than he had anticipated.  
"Great. You could wriggle your way out of anything, I bet," she said when she'd stopped laughing.  
"Probably."

"Well, anyway, was there something in particular you wanted?" she asked carefully. "Or did you just want a moment to reminisce last night?"  
"Err, a little of both, actually. I was just wondering… what do you reckon we should do next? Where has this landed us off?"  
"Umm… what do you mean, 'do next'?" Katie asked uncertainly.  
"I mean, should we, like, go on real dates? Should we tell everyone? Should we… you know, stuff like that."  
Katie looked at him, a broad smile on her face. "Are you serious? You want to… tell people? Go on dates, not just fool around?"  
"Well… umm… yeah." George felt awfully awkward all of a sudden; had she not expected him to talk to her after 'getting what he wanted', or why else was she so surprised?  
"That's wonderful!" She beamed at him, positively aglow with happiness and calm. "I thought… well, I guess it's silly, but I thought you'd dump me now that we've… you know."  
"Had sex?"  
"Yeah," she confirmed, staring down at her shoes, apparently quite abashed.  
"Suppose I'm not that kind of guy." He shrugged.  
"Remind me not to doubt you again," she said, and leaned forward and kissed him quickly on the cheek. Then, she turned around and started walking away, and didn't look back. As she'd almost reached the gates, she called, but without looking back, "I'll see you around, George… I'll be in the common room, by the fire, awaiting you at midnight."  
"Great!" he shouted after her, but she'd already closed the door.  
He sighed, sitting himself down on the grass beneath him.

It was all so hard. All his feelings were mixed up so that he didn't know what to believe anymore.  
He wasn't sure how he felt about Katie. He just knew it wouldn't be fair to discard her after having sex with her – he was positive she'd been a virgin before he'd come along – and so, he played his cards the way he needed to.

His brother was always a shadow in the back of his head he couldn't get rid of. But if he tried really hard, he could ignore it, just like he'd done last night. Besides, the brother-thing, it wasn't going to work out. For one, Fred wasn't interested in him that way, and second, incestuous relationships were forbidden by law. It was taboo feeling anything other than _friendly_ love for your sibling.  
Katie, on the other hand… she was permitted. And he liked her, he really did.  
So why shouldn't he go for the things he could have, instead of getting his heart inevitably broken?

Why aim for the stars when you were destined to only reach the trees…


	6. Weirdoes and double dating

**Chapter six: Weirdoes and double dating**

"Weasley."  
"Mm."  
"Weasley!"  
"Yeah, I'm awake! I wasn't sleeping! What do you want?"  
"Time to get the hell out if you don't want to rouse suspicion."  
Fred lifted his head from the pillow it'd been resting on and looked at Oliver. He was already up on his feet, getting dressed and buttoning his shirt. He seemed to be in an awful hurry.  
"Hey, what's the rush?" Fred asked, yawning slightly. He _had_ been asleep. Hadn't got much of it last night, so he'd figured he'd earned some. "No one's going to find this place any time soon anyway."  
"While you might feel differently about your education, I actually have classes that matter to go to. And I'm late for Ancient Runes."  
"I didn't know you took that subject."  
"There's lots you don't know about me, Weasley," Oliver said, leaning forward and kissing him lightly. Then, he straightened himself up again and threw a pillow in his face. "Now get up. Don't want to see you get expelled because of me."  
Fred grinned, sitting himself up nimbly and stepping out of the all too comfortable bed to put on his robes. "Glad you care."  
"Don't flatter yourself, Weasley. I just don't want it on my conscience, 's all," Oliver answered smoothly, but Fred could see a glint in his eyes, telling him he _did_ care, but didn't want it to seem that way.  
"Yeah, well. Meanwhile, would you kindly hand me my underwear?"

Fred lingered in the Room of Requirement for a bit longer than Oliver did. Wood took his leave in a haste, after a quick goodbye-snog.  
When Fred had got tired of just lying in the bed and looking at the indifferent, dull ceiling, he got out of the room and closed the door. It immediately disappeared, taking care of all problems for him. He made his way to the Gryffindor common room, where Lee was playing Wizard's Chess with some boy from second year that Fred did not recognise.

"Oi, Weasley! Come 'ere," Lee shouted as he saw Fred make his entrance, "I've got a message for you. Ah, damn you, Reed, that was my last Knight! I'll get you for this."  
"So," said Fred, sitting himself down beside Lee, watching one of Reed's pawns chop the head off Lee's bishop, "what's the message?"  
"Your brother's looking for you," Lee muttered, concentrating fully on the game. "Said he's got something important to talk to you about."  
Fred frowned. "Right. Do you know where I can find him?"  
"Saw him exit the Great Hall earlier with Katie Bell. Figure they're out on the courtyard or something."  
"Thanks." Fred stood up, patting Lee on the back. "Hey, and good luck. Can't let this second year loser slaughter you. No offence," he added, looking at Reed with his kindest smile.  
"None taken," the second year student said, looking rather pleased Fred had addressed him at all.

The courtyard was empty except for a very familiar redhead, who had parked himself on the grass. Fred could see his copper mane flutter and wave from the wind from behind. He took a deep breath and walked forward until he was a bare metre from him.

"So here you are," said Fred. George didn't move; he'd noticed Fred's presence before he'd spoken. Fred sat himself down beside him, and George met his gaze in a defying sort of way.  
"Here I am," he answered coolly. "What brings you here, then? Haven't you got somewhere more important to be right now, say, for example… anywhere else?"  
Fred nodded. "I deserved that," he said, and his brother's defying look turned to a puzzled one. "I know I haven't been around a lot lately, and I want to come clean. At last."  
George stared at him. "Come clean? You've done something horrible, then? Ah, don't tell me – you've killed someone."  
Fred gave a short, dry chuckle. "No, not _that_ horrible. Jeez, what do you take me for?"  
"If you'd killed Filch we'd all been thankful," muttered George and looked out at the stunning view that was Hogwarts' surroundings. "Wouldn't have blamed you."  
"Yeah, _him_ I could have murdered," Fred grinned. But he felt something jerk in his stomach when he thought of what he had to tell his brother. After that, he figured, things wouldn't be as jovial. "But no, seriously, George… I've been keeping something from you, that I shouldn't have."  
"No shit," George mumbled. "Sneaking off from class, staying out all night without me knowing your whereabouts… I'm sorry to sound like mum, but it's kind of irresponsible, isn't it?"  
"I'm sorry, George, it's just… I couldn't have done it any other way."  
"Could you just come out and say it now? You're really keeping me on tenterhooks here."  
Fred took a deep breath once again. This was it. He knew he had to do it, otherwise he'd drown in the shame of keeping something that big from his twin, his closest friend. And whom could he trust in the world to keep the secret… if not George?

"I'm… well, I've… I'm having a relationship with Oliver." He closed his eyes, burying his head in his hands. "There you have it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I really am, I just didn't know how you'd react, and then we'd been going at it for too long to claim it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience… it just felt like it was… too late…"

George sat silent for a second, not uttering a single word, barely breathing. Then, he exhaled heavily, and spoke.  
"How long have you…"  
"Half a year," Fred whispered, still hiding his face from George. He didn't want to face his glance in case it was judgmental, angry or any of the sort. His tone of speech was quite blank, as though he was withholding all emotion. Perhaps saving for a giant outburst later on?  
"Oh." He didn't sound amazed, not even surprised, just… vacant. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
"Told you, I didn't know how you'd react, I didn't want you to think I was…"  
"A weirdo?"  
"Yeah."  
"I already knew you were a weirdo," George said slowly. "Only thing I didn't know was, you've got a strange taste for men."  
Fred lifted his head and looked at his brother. It seemed he was perfectly calm, he was taking it very well. Not only the news of sexual orientation, but also that his brother had been having an affair – a relationship, however you defined it – with their mutual friend and Quidditch captain.  
"You're not mad?"  
"Actually, I'm… I've got something to tell you, too."  
"_You have_?" Fred felt the relief wash over him like a wave. Rather than feeling angry with his brother for keeping things to himself, he was relieved that he hadn't been the only 'sinner' of the two. "Who is it?"  
George looked at him incredulously. "How do you know it's a person?"  
"Well…" Fred shrugged. "I suppose it's that twin intuition, you know."  
His brother eyed him, looking fairly amused at the whole situation. "Okay. It's Katie Bell, anyway."  
Fred nodded. "Can't say I'm surprised. She's had an eye on you for a long, long time, mate."  
"That she has," George agreed. "Been fooling 'round with her all term, you know, and then earlier today we decided to tell people. To date. That sort of stuff."  
"Good for you!" Fred congratulated him. It all felt kind of strange; sitting in the grass, having a heart-to-heart conversation with his brother, when mere minutes ago, he'd felt like his announcement might prove the end of their friendship all together. But it felt _good_. Now Fred knew for sure, whatever happened, George would always be there for him. And he would always be there for George.

"Sure, I hadn't planned on it, but I guess it could be cool having a girlfriend. Hey, maybe we could double date some time," George said lightly.  
"I don't think so, mate," Fred retorted, smiling. "Oliver's not exactly the kind of guy you take out on dates. More the kind that ambushes you and drags you into rooms with nothing but a bed, and…"  
"Eww!" George disrupted, grinning. "I don't even want to know, brother dearest." He patted him on the shoulder. "I'm fine with the gay thing, just… keep the details to yourself, okay?"  
"Okay then." Fred heaved himself up; he had grass-stains all over his robes, but it felt like it'd definitely been worth it. "Feel like going to class? We have Potions in a while."  
His brother made an ugly grimace. "Potions? Oh, great. That'll make my day."  
"Yeah, well, at least we'll be together."  
George beamed at him. "Yeah. At least we'll be together."  
Thus, Fred dragged him up on his feet, and they walked off to the gates of the castle – one of them light at heart, the other one bottling his sorrow and disappointment up inside of him.

Whether it'd work out for either of them, time would tell. But one thing was sure – they'd stand by each other's side.

Totally asexually, of course.


End file.
